Just curious if anyone out there can read the symbolism in this crest? These wax seal stamps are from a Russian relative and I think they might be fairly old. The design seems to vary from stamp to stamp, one having lions and another having deer or impala, but despite differences it seems to be the same crest.

These crests with their heraldic boasts always make me a little suspicious. I mean did whoever it was really have the fearlessness of a lion? And the royalty connection? Dubious. Though I suppose it’s always possible to fall out of the aristocracy (or buy/slaughter your way in). Apparently the three dots above the crown represent ermine, so that’s two signs of royalty together. The armoured helmet wearing the necklace, though? The three heads? Diamonds? And apparently the vertical division also means something. I’m particularly curious about the spots.

It’s weird when a relative dies and you find these mysterious objects. They clearly meant something to someone, since they appear on everything, yet no one ever thought to explain their significance. Modernity! And this isn’t about the pursuit of some sort of unearned status via these symbols, either; we’re just curious. We are starting to notice these crests everywhere, like the muted post horn in The Crying of Lot 49.

The crest at top is the right way round (it’s a ceramic imprint from a stamp that we haven’t found) and so is the embossed design on the stationery at bottom. The two stamps directly below obviously show the crest in mirror image.